


The Things We Lost

by xanemarths



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
Genre: 'Princey how many trans jugdral headcanons do you have' uh, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst with a not-sad ending, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Nonbinary Character, Trans Male Character, mentions of Azel/Tiltyu, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 07:09:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11550093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanemarths/pseuds/xanemarths
Summary: Azel manages to avoid being turned to stone. Tiltyu and Tinny do not avoid being caught by Freege. Arthur is still left behind, but this time, not for long.





	The Things We Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Have I Ever Told You How Much I Love Dadzel?
> 
> I have been having SUCH a Freege-Velthomer itch recently, especially Azel as Arthur's dad, and I ended up cranking all this out today to get that feeling out. I suppose it's to make up for Quil being fanfic 100?

It had been well over a year since Azel had left to confront their big brother, and they suppose it’s quite the miracle they’d even managed to make it back to Silesia. Arvis had changed, even from the brother they’d known; for all the “good” he’d managed to do in Grandbell, Azel could only think of how much pain he’d inflicted to get there.

And they thought they’d been scared of him before.

All in all, the visit had been futile, and they’d spent more of their time hiding and on the run than even trying to get to their brother. In the end, they were probably lucky to get out with their life - even though they couldn’t imagine Arvis sinking so low as to betray his own baby brother, they also couldn’t see him releasing someone labelled a traitor, had someone else caught him lingering near the capital.

So, back home to Silesia it was, and they can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as they cross the border, as they get closer and closer to the home they’d settled in with Tiltyu. She’d be so relieved to see them again, and the kids would be so excited, too! They’d have to make some real nice treat for them, to make up for lost time, and be sure to spend the coming weeks giving them as much attention as possible, as some sort of reassurance that they were here to stay now, don’t worry.

They know that something is wrong, even when they’re still a long way off from the house. There’s no light from inside, no noise as they draw closer; the door is off it’s hinges and the wood’s been singed. Closer inspection shows it’s definitely magic, and it’s nothing like the fire burns Azel is so familiar with. This is the electricity of thunder magic, and thunder meant-

Freege.

The house is very empty, and between the layers of dust and cobwebs and snow that’s blown in over time, it has been empty for quite some time. The place looks like it was ransacked, with furniture overturned, belongings trashed… Near the mantle, Azel finds a smashed picture frame on the ground, one that they remember holding a painting they’d done of their family, not long before they’d left. When they turn it over to look at it again, they find that it’s gone from the frame, carefully removed by - someone. It’s gone, just like their wife, just like their two children, and Azel feels something settle heavy in their chest. Had they known of this when they were still in Grandbell - they could’ve-

Whatever they could have done, it’s too late for that, now. It doesn’t take much to conclude that this was _definitely_ done by Freege, and it hurts more to know that _Tiltyu_ has been harmed by her own family than it ever did to see what Arvis was doing. She’d been alone, she had _children_ \- had their kids been taken, too? They can only guess they had been; the house is empty and there’s no sign of them anywhere. The thought of their children, both of whom weren’t even _ten_ yet, being captured and treated as prisoners twists Azel’s gut, and they squeeze their eyes shut.

So what if they’ve just risked going to Grandbell for nothing, and had just returned home? Without Tiltyu, without their children, this place could barely be called a home. If they have to storm Freege all by themself to rescue their family, then so be it.

There’s a noise from somewhere outside, and Azel startles so hard they drop the picture frame. Goodness, they were easily startled today, weren’t they? It was probably just some wild creature; just because they’re standing in their own ransacked home doesn’t mean they’re about to come under attack! And yet, they still can’t help but feel like that rustle was more than an animal…

They pull out their fire tome, just in case, and exit the house. Outside, the world still seems pristine and undisturbed, and they almost wonder if, in their unease, they’d simply imagined the noise - until they hear snow crunch, a little further distant than the rustling had been. Could whatever they heard before be retreating?

Hesitantly, Azel decided to call out, holding onto their tome defensively just in case whatever they had heard turned out to be an enemy. “Hello?”

There is no response. The crunching of snow ceases entirely, and around them, everything goes eerily silent. Warily, they take a few steps forward, eyes scanning the forest for movement. “Is someone there?”

Once more, there is no response, but Azel does notice when they see a very familiar shade of silvery hair pops out from behind a tree. It’s too small to be Tiltyu, too big to be Tinny (unless she’d had a growth spurt and they were unaware of it - which was perfectly feasible, given how long they were away), which meant it had to be-

They call out for their oldest child, choking back an overwhelming surge of hope, and they watch as that head pokes out fully, eyes wide with shock - and then they’re both moving, but Azel is faster, and they sweep up their child into their arms at the forest’s edge, murmuring that name over and over-

Something is murmured, too muffled for him to hear. “Hm?”

“...Arthur. I’m-”

They don’t need an explanation. They cradle their son even closer, squeezing him tight (he’s so _cold_ , had he been living out in the woods all this time?) and murmuring “Arthur, Arthur, oh, Arthur, my son…”

Arthur bursts into tears, burying his face against Azel’s left shoulder, and they rock him in their arms in an effort to soothe him, as tears well in their own eyes. They almost don’t want to ask, and risk upsetting him further, but, they have to know. “Is Tinny with you…? Or have you been out on your own this whole time, and, how long?”

Arthur sobs harder, and it’s answer enough. Still, he somehow manages to choke out a “no,” and Azel listens patiently and rubs his back as he sobs out how he’d come home a year ago to find the door hanging off its hinges, and mom and Tinny gone, and he couldn’t find them or do anything about it but he knew it was Freege, and how he’d taken to hiding in the woods because he was so afraid they’d come back for him-

His breathing gets too heavy and panicked to continue, and Azel keeps rocking him and rubbing his back. “It’s okay… I’m here, now, Arthur, I’m here… You’ve been very brave, all by yourself, but I’m here now, and I’m not leaving again, okay?”

Arthur nods, heaving a breathy sigh as he starts to calm down. “...I wanted to go find mom and Tinny,” he murmurs, briefly raising his head only to lean it back against Azel’s shoulder. “I didn’t wanna leave them alone to Freege… but I didn’t even know how to fight, much less…”

He trails off, sounding and looking quite defeated, and Azel tries to soothe him. “That’s okay, Arthur, it’s - it’s a _good_ thing you stayed in this area, where I could still find you, instead of getting lost somewhere in Grandbell, and being separated forever, right?”

Arthur huffs. “I _guess_ …”

Azel smiles, softly. “It _is_. We’ll rescue your mom and Tinny as soon as we can, I promise. But for now, let’s get you somewhere safe. Preferably with food, and some nice food, and a roof over your head, yeah?”

From the look on Arthur’s face, “soon” isn’t really what he wants - but he offers no protest as Azel starts off on a trail to the nearest town, which they’re pretty sure has a quaint little inn, and a bakery as well. Soon, he’s all but asleep in Azel’s arms, and it takes them a moment to notice when he presses a curled fist against them, and a lot of awkward rearranging in order to grab whatever it is he’s holding. It’s the painting from the mantle, singed and tattered at the edges and torn in places, but somehow still whole. Azel smiles, and neatly folds it before stuffing it into their pocket, readjusting their grip on their sleepy son once more. It’s a reminder, they think, that times aren’t quite happy yet - but, they believe, there is still hope for the future.

That future will have to wait until Arthur wakes up, though.

**Author's Note:**

> I very particularly avoided gendering Arthur or giving him any sort of name until he says his name. I love the idea that Azel and Tiltyu had a cute naming scheme going on for their kids, because, Azel and Arthur, Tiltyu and Tinny - and I _really_ love the concept of Arthur purposefully making sure his name started with an "A" to keep that naming scheme going.
> 
> But that's a concept to be explored in another fanfic.


End file.
